The Knoxville, Tennessee based Big Ears Festival has announced the lineup for its 2023 installment. The fest is scheduled to take place from March 30 to April 2. Tickets for Big Ears will be made available at the festival’s website here, with ticket plans including options for general admissions passes for all four days, daily passes, sonic explorer VIP passes and more.
Big Ears 2023 intends to celebrate two major milestones, the first being “ten years of big ears,” with 2023 being the tenth installment in the festival’s history. The other major milestone is the 70th birthday of the prolific composer and saxophonist John Zorn, with a portion of the festival being dedicated to celebrating the birthday of the unique and eclectic musician.
Notable acts performing at the upcoming festival include the Malian worldbeat duo Amadou & Mariam, composer and bandleader Vijay Iyer, Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, John Zorn’s avant garde act Painkiller, the duo of Arooj Aftab and Shahzad Ismaily, Jazz bassist William Parker and a long list of others. Attendees of the Knoxville based festival will be treated to a buffet of artists, all unique in their backgrounds and styles. See the full list of performing artists below.
In 2018, John Zorn was able to celebrate his last major milestone, his 65th birthday, with a show alongside Mike Patton and Dave Lombardo. Arooj Aftab will also be performing at the Mission Creek 2022 festival, alongside such acts as Beach Bunny and Soccer Mommy. Big Ears 2023 will follow the 2022 installment of the festival, which took place after the festival’s cancellation in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.